Guatemala Huehuetenango – raw coffee beans

Guatemala Huehuetenango – raw coffee beans for home roasting

If you want to work on the roasting yourself, from green coffee bean to finished coffee, Guatemala Huehuetenango is an exciting raw coffee to experiment with.

This is an Arabica SHB coffee from Huehuetenango in Guatemala, grown at an altitude of approximately 1,600–2,000 meters and sorted to Screen 17/18.

The coffee is washed and has an SCA score of 82.5.

At Brændeholm Risteri, we use this raw coffee ourselves for our roasted Guatemala Huehuetenango. In the medium-roasted version, we experience flavor notes of red berries, apricot, and milk chocolate.

As a home roaster, you get the opportunity to work on how the balance between the coffee’s fruitiness, sweetness, and roast character should develop.

Raw coffee profile

• Origin: Guatemala
• Region: Huehuetenango
• Species: Arabica
• Classification: SHB Huehuetenango
• Processing: Washed
• Altitude: Approx. 1,600–2,000 meters above sea level
• Screen: 17/18
• Harvest period: January–April
• SCA score: 82.5
• Our flavor notes after roasting: Red berries, apricot, and milk chocolate

What does SHB mean?

The coffee is classified as SHB – Strictly Hard Bean.

The term is used for dense coffee beans from high-altitude growing areas. This specific Guatemala Huehuetenango is grown at an altitude of approximately 1,600–2,000 meters.

The supplier's data sheet describes the SHB quality as known for dense and flavorful coffee beans.

For the home roaster, the density of the bean means, among other things, that it is interesting to follow how the coffee reacts to heat and development time during roasting.

Washed Guatemala coffee

Guatemala Huehuetenango is washed.

With the washed processing method, the fruit flesh surrounding the coffee bean is removed as part of the process before the beans are dried.

This gives you a raw coffee where you can work on the coffee's own character through the roasting process without being tied to one specific finished roast profile.

Flavor profile after roasting

Raw coffee beans are, of course, not ready for standard coffee brewing. The flavor profile is only developed through roasting.

When we roast this Guatemala Huehuetenango to a medium level ourselves, we especially experience:

• Red berries
• Apricot
• Milk chocolate

The red berries and apricot give the finished coffee a fruity side, while the milk chocolate adds roundness and sweetness.

How your specific roast ends up tasting depends, among other things, on the roast profile you choose.

Experiment with the roast level

One of the advantages of buying raw coffee beans is that you decide for yourself how far the roast should be developed.

A lighter profile can leave more room for the coffee's fresh and fruity sides, while further development during roasting typically shifts the taste experience toward more body and a more distinct roast character.

The interesting thing about home roasting is precisely making small changes from roast to roast and comparing the result in the cup.

If you want to better understand the differences between roast levels, you can read our guide to light, medium, and dark roasted coffee.

The same Guatemala coffee that we roast ourselves

It is the same Guatemala Huehuetenango that we use in our own coffee roastery.

This gives you the opportunity to both experiment with the raw coffee yourself and compare the result with our finished medium-roasted version.

See Guatemala Huehuetenango – medium roast.

It can be an interesting way to learn more about roasting because you can experience how much the roast profile matters for the same raw coffee.

Raw coffee beans for home roasting

Guatemala Huehuetenango is sold as raw, green coffee beans and must be roasted before they can be ground and brewed like standard coffee.

They are therefore intended for you who:

• Already roast coffee at home
• Would like to start experimenting with home roasting
• Want to work with your own roast profiles
• Want to compare different origins and raw coffees
• Want more control over the entire process from raw bean to finished cup

You can also explore our other raw and green coffee beans.

From green coffee bean to your own roast profile

Guatemala Huehuetenango gives you the opportunity to decide for yourself how the finished coffee should develop.

You can keep the roast lighter and work with the fruity character or give the coffee more development and examine how sweetness, body, and roast character change.

Feel free to note the time, temperature, and your own taste experiences from each roast. This way, it becomes easier to repeat a profile you are satisfied with and understand what your changes do to the coffee.

It is precisely this opportunity to experiment, compare, and adapt that makes raw coffee beans interesting for the home roaster.